


Christmas Tradition

by Kellarhi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen, LtWWS Secret Santa; Left to Write Secret Santa;
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22022788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kellarhi/pseuds/Kellarhi
Summary: The Holidays haven't historically been kind to Adrien Agreste; being alone for Christmas is the last thing he needs! Thankfully, he's always got someone thinking of him... and just maybe, something to always look forward to.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Ladrien - Relationship
Comments: 9
Kudos: 31





	Christmas Tradition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [halfahelix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfahelix/gifts).



> Merry Christmas! This story is dedicated to my Secret Santa giftee, @halfahelix! I wanted to have this to her *before* Christmas but you know how that goes =P I'm pleased as punch that it's not the new year yet though! I hope you enjoy this story <3

Marinette quietly stared at the class picture on her mobile phone. They'd taken it late last week—before school had let out for the holidays—when their class had been celebrating with a small party. Touching her screen, she used her thumb and forefinger—pushing them away from one another—so she could zoom in on the face of her crush, Adrien Agreste. Even on the small screen she could tell that the smile on his perfect face didn't reach his eyes.

Their party had been on the same day that the news broke: Tsurugi Enterprises Merges with Gabriel Brand in New Deal to Expand Fashion Empire. It was probably also the same day Adrien found out that his father would be leaving on a trip to take the Parisian fashion brand, Gabriel, onto the runways of Tokyo—without him. The debut show for Gabriel Tokyo had been today—Christmas Eve—and like so frequently happened these past few months, Adrien had been left at home, without company. He was by himself tonight, despite it being the holidays—she knew it... _everyone_ knew it. 

"Tikki, he must be feeling so alone..." Marinette said to her small friend. "He wasn't really in much of the Christmas mood last week during school, either. I wish he'd have been able to go out with everyone today."

Most members of their collège class had gone out for several hours this afternoon—first enjoying some skate time at the local ice rink, and then playing together at the Holiday event being hosted there afterwards. Their local figure skating celebrity (and ice rink benefactor) had paid to have actual snow imported to the main parking lot for the rink, complete with snow machines that blew icy flakes over the entire area. Kim and Alix had been especially competitive with the impromptu snow fort construction and subsequent snowball fight.

Tikki was silently curled up in bed next to where Marinette was, covers pulled up tight against the biting Winter cold from outside.

"Well, it was still nice of your class to leave presents for him... even though that Secretary of his father's wouldn't allow him to even come to the gate to visit; I'm sure he'll love those passionfruit macarons you made him. But, Marinette—" she pressed, "I don't understand... why didn't you give him the present you've been working on for months?" Tikki's huge eyes looked up at her holder quizzically.

Marinette sighed, and hugged a pillow tightly to her chest, burying a portion of her face to mask the heat she felt rising to her cheeks. It wasn't a secret that she liked Adrien, but she still felt oddly uncomfortable when it came down to it.

"I thought about it a lot, Tikki. But really, I just didn't want to make it seem like I was giving him preferential treatment over all our other classmates. It might look weird to him if I decided to make _him_ something when I didn't do that for everyone else in the class." It wasn't a complete lie—she _had_ considered those things. But what was closer to the truth was that she just couldn't bring herself to wrack up the courage to give it to him.

She was silent for a few heartbeats longer before she reached up to each of her pigtails, pulling her own hair mildly in frustration. "UGH TIKKI, why do I feel so useless right now? I wish there was something I could do about it. But it's so late, and considering my family is already in bed, I'm sure—with nothing to do—he probably is too."

"You sure about that, Marinette?" Tikki flew up from where she'd be resting, and gave her a pitying look. "I wouldn't normally condone something like this, but... I will point out that while _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ may not be able to do much right now, maybe there's something Ladybug could do?"

"You're right! Maybe I can swing by, and if he's awake, I can pay him a visit. He's not been allowed out for days according to what Nino told me, but if he doesn't _leave_ , then technically he's not breaking any rules, right?" She'd clenched a fist in front of her chest in a victory pose; her eyes took on that glassy, faraway look she got whenever she was daydreaming about Adrien. 

Tikki rolled her eyes, not bothering to point out that following the spirit of the rule was almost as important as following it to the letter. 

"Well, there's no time to find out like the present," Marinette barrelled on, not waiting for an actual response. "Tikki... Spots on!"

* * *

Adrien sat up from where he'd been lounging in bed, looking at the Ladyblog, and scouring his phone for the latest tabloid news about Ladybug. There were _always_ new pictures submitted to various media sites, but rarely were there any _great_ images of his Lady; that didn't stop him from using his spare time to try and hunt them down, though. He sighed deeply, throwing one arm across his face and over his eyes, and the hand holding his phone dropped limply beside him onto the bed. Plagg was on the couch—remote and cheese platter within reach—watching some movie with a lot of loud explosions that he found on one of the streaming services Adrien was subscribed to.

Deciding he'd wasted enough time looking for new photos, Adrien sat up slowly from his bed, and looked over at the television. "What are you watching?" he called from across the room.

"Meh... just something I haven't had the opportunity to watch in many years. Want to catch it with me?" came the Kwami's response; Plagg was riveted, and his attention barely strayed enough to answer. 

"Why aren't you watching any Christmas movies?" Adrien asked, a little intrigued, as he stood up and walked over.

Plagg turned to face him then, his glowing green eyes narrowed in disgust. "This IS a Christmas movie, kid. Don't you know anything? Die Hard is a classic...."

"If you say so," chuckled Adrien, and he continued over to the window. "I'm gonna open this thing—I feel stifled. Actually... Plagg, would you want to go out for a bit?" Adrien swung the window open wide and a blast of cold winter air immediately blew into the room.

"Are you crazy??" the little god glowered at him. "I was _super_ comfortable—why would you do something like that? It's _way_ too cold to be going outside. _Where_ were you laying in bed? I bet it's still warm," he flew up angrily, and zoomed across the room to find the spot Adrien had just vacated. "Besides," the disgruntled black ball of fluff added, "we don't want a repeat of _last_ year, now do we?"

Adrien clicked off the tv, and tossed its remote onto the couch. Plagg had a point—last year had been a particularly low point for him. It was the first Christmas he'd been without his mother—he was really resentful and bitter because his father hadn't seemed to recognize how much he'd been suffering. Surprisingly, he hadn't been targeted by an akuma, but the first person that had tried to be kind to him last Christmas Eve _had_ been akumatized—after being accused of kidnapping, and verbally accosted by his father and manhandled by Ladybug.

"You're right, Plagg. It's probably best to keep a low profile this year. I mean... Nathalie and Gorilla are staying here at the mansion, but I wouldn't want to inadvertently cause any problems for them by running off upset again."

Plagg just released a muffled snort from the place he'd burrowed between the pillows on the bed.

Stretching tall, Adrien walked over to his piano and sat down at the bench. He wouldn't go running around wildly this year but he was still feeling melancholy, especially without either parent around to accompany him this Christmas. He took a few calming breaths before his fingers found their familiar place on the keys, and he began to play. The song that came out was improvised—haunting and vaguely Christmas like, but in a mournful way. He let the music roll over him.

The evening air was crisp, and though there was a little snow remaining from the flurries two days prior, most was melted and not a cloud was in the sky. The limitless inky black ceiling was glittered with stars, and made the night feel infinitely more cold than it probably would have with some cloud cover. Ladybug landed gently on a roof across the road from the Agreste manor. The property was dark, save for the lit area along the second floor in the front—Adrien's room. And though the night was basically silent, she could hear a somber melody cutting through the darkness... and the song was coming from it. The music twisted her stomach nervously, and she only sat for another few seconds before deciding to cross the small distance to his windowsill. Although it wasn't a song she'd ever heard before, she could feel the intensity behind it, and knew he wasn't doing as well as he'd pretended; it definitely would _not_ do to have him Akumatized on Christmas Eve.

Swooping down across the roadway, Ladybug alighted softly at his window. A normal human wouldn't likely have heard the soft footfall as she perched, but having a year of practice as Chat Noir had sharpened all his senses and abilities. For a split second, Adrien thought it was probably not his best decision—leaving the window open, on a night where emotions were sure to run high. His fingers stopped, and his head swiveled quickly in the direction of his open window.

* * *

Ladybug's face turned crimson at being caught on his windowsill without a plan of action. Usually, she had her bases covered—from A to Z.

"Ladybug?" Adrien's shock was quickly replaced with an expression that was equal parts amazed and confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Adrien!" came her quick, high-pitched reply. "I was ummmm just swinging through the neighborhood! I heard some music, and thought I would swing by to say Cherry Mistmas to you!" Her smile was unnaturally wide—something he was able to pick up on immediately. "So, yes, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, all that!"

Suddenly, the expression on her face shifted, and the smile fell as her eyes became surprisingly large. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry—this was terribly rude to just stop in your window unannounced—I'll just go now, I really shouldn't have—"

"Wait!" he interrupted. Adrien was already darting away from the piano to cross the space between them—one hand outreached as if to grab her away from the window ledge. "Please—don't go. Come in! Are you cold? You must be cold—" he grabbed her hand and gingerly coaxed her into the warmth of his room, sliding the window closed as she entered fully. "I'll go grab something warm for you to drink. Would you like some tea? Something more festive? Hot cocoa?" He pulled her over to the couch and motioned for her to sit; she complied, dumbfounded.

When he just continued looking at her expectantly—hopefully—Ladybug's brain began functioning again.

"Oh! Yes, well I would appreciate that. So... hot cocoa? Please?" Her voice was timid, unsure... quite unlike the girl he'd been fighting alongside for over a year. Scared he would spook her into fleeing or changing her mind, Adrien just smiled, gave a quick nod, and exited his room.

Ladybug let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Why had she come over here without an _actual_ plan? This was soooo unlike her! What _exactly_ was she _doing_ here?? Sure she'd talked about going to visit Adrien to cheer him up, but she hadn't thought about the intensity of stalker-level-awkwardness she would force on him by just randomly showing up on his proverbial doorstep like a homeless fieldmouse! 

...she really was an unmitigated disaster sometimes.

Hoping to calm her ever escalating nerves, she decided to visually take in his room while she waited for him to return. Apparently he had been busy lately, if the number of decorations in his room was any indication. Twinkling white cluster lights lined the perimeter of his ceiling, dangling like icicles across his room. There were faux pine needle garlands—also amassed with lights—strung up the railings for the stairs inside his room, and across the balcony area. She hadn't noticed before, but all the windows in his room had fake snow along the edges. And in the corner, beside the wall of windows for his room, sat the largest Christmas tree she had ever seen inside. It was decorated tastefully, but she wasn't quite sure if it was decorated in a way Adrien had chosen, or the way his father Gabriel had decided it needed to be. Under the tree were the presents that she and her classmates had left for him earlier—seeing them brought a smile to her face and her shoulders relaxed.

The soft click of his door shutting was how she knew that he'd already returned, and she turned her gaze over the back of the couch as he made his way to her. Silver tray in hand, he had two enormous mugs that were surprisingly... _not..._ something she would have ever expected to be on a silver platter. Adrien was genuinely smiling—the first she'd seen on his face in the last few weeks.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, m...Ladybug," he almost stuttered as he walked around, setting the platter down on the table in front of the couch. "Here—" he picked up a mug from the tray and held it for her to take from his hands. "I hope you like marshmallows and whipped cream?" It came out sounding like a question, and he sought her approval, his bright eyes never leaving hers. He handed it over then, their fingers brushing momentarily as he did.

"Thank you for the drink, Adrien. Though, you really didn't need to go through any trouble for me." She smiled and took a careful sip to make sure it wasn't too hot. "I like your mugs," she said, to fill the silence that had fallen between them.

"I never get a chance to use these anymore," he smiled sadly. "When my mother was still here, that was her cup and we would actually do this on Christmas Eve—sit together and drink hot cocoa, among other things"

"Oh, are you sure you want me using this?"

"Of course! It.. makes me happy seeing it used. I'm not sure exactly how much you know about me or my family, but last year was really hard... honestly, I wasn't sure if I would feel any better this year. Having you here with me was an unexpected surprise and probably one of the nicer gifts I'll get," he chucked.

"What.. other things did you do as a family? What were your traditions?" Ladybug expertly redirected the conversation.

"When I was much younger, we used to go to Le Grand Paris—Chloé's place—and we would do an all afternoon get together. When we hit about 10 though, her father took over as the mayor of Paris, and her mother started getting pretty well known in NYC... my dad's brand was also emerging as one of the most visionary at the time. We sorta fell out of that habit since we became so busy. We _used_ to have so much fun together, though..." There was almost a tinge of regret in Adrien's voice as he explained.

"Oh wow, I didn't mean to pry," she said, sympathetic blue eyes watching him intently. "Please forgive me for bringing up such personal memories—I feel like I'm putting my foot in my mouth! I'm so sorry for asking."

Adrien just laughed. "No, please don't worry about that, Ladybug! I love thinking about the fun times we used to have—it makes me happy. But if it's making you uncomfortable, how about we talk about your family for awhile? That is, nothing _too_ specific... but do you all have any traditions?"

Ladybug hesitated, taking the opportunity to drink a large sip of hot cocoa as she tried to think of a way to answer him without giving away too much personal information.

"Well, my family is much less traditional than most other families I know. My father broke off from doing things the way they'd always been done before in his family." A large grin split her face before she continued explaining. "It's kind of funny, because my grandfather was aghast when he found out that we don't do the typical late Christmas dinner that many Parisian families do, but with the... line of work my parents are in, waking up early is essential, so we just never do it. Needless to say, we kind of take what works, and ditch the rest in our family. But there is one thing we _always_ do before we head in for the evening in our household..."

"Oh?" Adrien questioned, genuinely curious now. 

"Mmmhmm. If you'd like, I can teach you all about it—think you'd be up for it? " she offered him a small smile, and he just nodded in response.

"Now I _know_ this is Christmas, Adrien, but I will warn you—This isn't for the faint of heart. This is a _serious_ tradition in my home, and only the strong survive. Are you _sure_ you're ready?" she teased him, her small smile morphing into something much more mischievous.

She giggled as she stood—his expression confused and almost worried now—but she strode past him, eyes already focused on something over his shoulder. His gaze follows her first before his feet caught up, and he watched as she plucked a game controller from next to his large TV.

"And just because this is the holiday season _doesn't_ mean I'm going to go easy on you," she challenged, her eyes reflecting the twinkle of the lights above them. 

Adrien's face lit up brighter than the Christmas tree in the corner of his room. "Oh! I have just the game—I haven't had anyone to play it with yet, and it's still in testing phase from my friend Max. It's that Miraculous All-Star Brawl game. Want to play?"

* * *

An hour later, the two teens had been thoroughly played out, and were on their third mug of hot cocoa. Adrien had a feeling it was going to be hard to sleep tonight, and not just because of all the sugar he'd consumed while in her company. As Ladybug used her character, _Frozer_ , to defeat Adrien's _Reverser_ , he slumped back into the couch with a loud groan.

"Wow Ladybug, you're an _ice-cold_ killer! How could you _freeze_ me out of our competition like that?" Ladybug hid her eye roll behind a large gulp from her fresh mug of hot cocoa, but didn't respond.

"Really? Now she's giving me the _cold_ shoulder...." he scoffed, not bothering to suppress his grin. Ladybug moved the mug away from her face, but didn't realize she'd given herself a whipped cream mustache. 

"Adrien, Adrien, Adrien..." she tsk'd at him. "You should know it's not _ice_ to mess with the best—I really needed to _snow_ you your place."

He started laughing—a hearty belly laugh that her terrible jokes didn't warrant. When he continued laughing louder, and getting more hoarse from lack of breath, she started to wonder what was wrong. 

"...What's so funny?" she asked, with mild agitation. 

"I'm sorry Ladybug, it's just—" he barely managed to wheeze out as he caught his breath, "I can't take you seriously right now with how you look!"

Confused, she blinked at him, and his rolling laughter slowly abated. His green eyes were crinkled at the corners with merriment, but the look he gave her was nothing short of pure affection. 

"You're adorable," he murmered, as he lifted one hand to rest alongside her cheek. Reaching his thumb across her upper lip, he swiped ever so gently to remove the offending cream. Ladybug's eyes became comically large, and heat spread from her neck up to the roots of her hair.

"Oh..." was all she could say under his tender scrutiny. Adrien's eyes started to softly close, and he leaned towards her...

Ladybug took the opportunity to leap up off of the couch, and with a few steps, she stumbled away. "I should really think about heading home now—you know, this city never sleeps, and I would hate to be called to an Akuma battle without being fully rested." She rambled at a pace that would've been hard to understand if Adrien didn't know her as well as he did. Her face was still completely beet red. 

His joyful expression slipped just slightly, but he recovered with a genuine smile regardless. "I understand," he said, though she wouldn't know how well he truly _did_. 

She turned to walk towards his window but he bolted off the couch and reached to gently take her wrist in his hand. She pivoted slightly to look at him, the question clear in her expression.

"I just wanted to say thank you for coming over tonight, Ladybug. You saved my Christmas, yet again." There was a sparkle in his eye, and soft smile on his lips. "Is _this_ going to become a tradition for you as well—coming to my rescue every Christmas?" He released her wrist, but took a step closer to her. 

A small smirk tugged the corner of her mouth up. "Maybe, Adrien. It could be... if you want." He chuckled, then escorted her over to his window, where she stepped up onto the sill.

Her face looked determined all of a sudden, and she unreeled her yoyo. She looked out over Paris for a moment as if searching for something, then back into his room and into his large green eyes. "Hey, Adrien... do you think you can wait here at the window for me just a moment? I'll be right back." 

"Of course," came his answer, and she zipped off into the night. "Anything for you my Lady," he breathed out when she was too far away to hear him.

It didn't take long for her to return, and she was back to being perched on his window sill, carrying a brightly wrapped gift in her hands.

"Everyone deserves to have a nice Christmas. I made these recently, and I want you to have them."

Adrien's jaw dropped in astonishment. "But, I don't have anything for you though?" he looked upset, and Ladybug was quick to quell his objection.

"Spending time with you this evening was a gift on its own," she replied smoothly—and for once, she was kind of happy that Chat Noir was always practicing his lines on her. 

"I was glad for the company, Ladybug. Do you think... maybe you would be able to _maybe_ stop by again some time? I mean—" he stammered, as she pushed the present into his hands, " _maybe_ if you're not busy of course... I wouldn't dream of keeping Paris's greatest defender off the streets for long, that would be entirely selfish of me..." Apparently, they were taking turns at becoming embarrassingly red in the face. He held the package tightly against his chest—not quite meeting her gaze anymore, and mentally berating himself for the excessive overuse of the word 'maybe'.

"I'd like that," she replied with a shy smile. 

"Thank you, Ladybug." He returned her shy smile. "And Merry Christmas..."

"Merry Christmas, Adrien," she waved her hand just a fraction before unleashing her yoyo at the night and taking off once more.

Adrien shut the window behind her. Unable to contain himself and wait until the morning, he rushed away from the window and dove into bed, narrowly missing Plagg as he landed.

"Hey! You trying to kill me?" Plagg asked snidely, rocketing up from the spot he'd been hiding in since before Ladybug arrived; Adrien ignored him.

"She was here! My lady came to see ME," Adrien crowed as quietly as he could remember to, considering his excitement. "And look! She gave me a gift!" Plagg just rolled his eyes and disappeared into his little cheese fridge.

He tore into the thin present with a speed that was bordering on the kind he had when fully suited up. Inside the neatly wrapped package was a small, plain garment box. He lifted the lid gingerly, and peeled back the white tissue paper that was surrounding the gift.

Adrien gasped. It was a gift unlike anything he'd ever gotten before—save for once. And the color was so much like that scarf from his father… it was uncanny! It looked as if they could have come from a matched set! His heart squeezed with pride and gratitude.

Inside the box was a pair of light blue knitted mittens.


End file.
